Compound double-acting explosive-engine.



" No. 898,243. PATENTED SEPT. a, 1908.

M. M. MAHER. COMPOUND DOUBLE ACTING EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1907.

3 sums-$311211.

, No. 898,243. 7 P ATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908,

M. M. MAHER.

COMPOUND DOUBLE ACTING EXPLOSIVE ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29,1907.

3 SEEETSQSHBET z.

No. 898,243. PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908. N M. M. MAHER.

COMPOUND DOUBLE ACTING EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

AP PLIGATION FILED AUG. 29, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

MICHAEL M. MAHER,OF EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO,

' at the same time making use of considerable at each end of the cylinrated heads explosive charges never reach the .ings, wherein group ofcams for 0 UNITED STAm ss ENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES A. SMITH, OF CHESTER, WEST VIRGINIA. V

Specificationof Letters Patent.

' Application filed August 29,1901 Serial No. 390,640.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL M. MAHER,a Liverpool, in the countyofColumbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in Com- I pound Double Acting xplosive Engines, of which thefollowing 1s a specification.

's invention relates to an explosive engine, and one object is toprovide for compounding the explosive charges by- 'assing inward oroutward by screws 7 9 in cylinder the same into a ow pressure cylin er,the heads 3. By means of these supplemental same being retained in thehigh ressure heads the clearance in the ends of the cylinlinder duringthe greater ortion o the ex- ,der may be contracted or expanded to meetosion stroke, thereby ut' izing ractically the requirenients of gases ofvarying qualities, all the energy available in that cylinder and itbeing well known that somev ases require a higher degree of compressionElan others, in energy which otherwise would be wasted, and which eventthe heads will be moved inward also reducing the pressure which wouldotheras required for contracting the clearing wise be encountered by thepiston on its exspaces. 'Thus, the cylinder may be adapted haustingstroke. to gases of different grades, securing the A further purpose isto provide a double highest efiiciency from each. As a double actingexplosive engine w 'erein explosive acting engine is here shown, thisimprovecharges are adapted to o erate on the piston ment is shownapplied to each end of the er. cylinder, but obviously it is applicableto one objects of the invention end only of a single acting-engine.hereinafter and claimed, I Paralleling cylinder 2 is the low pressurethe accompanying drawcylinder 8, 9 being the istontherein and 10 thepiston rod which, li e ro'dG-of the explo- These and other are fullydescribed and illustrated by Figure 1 is a top lan view, artly insection, of the improve(l engine, ig. 2 is a side elevation of the highpressure portion of the engine and valve mechanism associated there.-with, portions thereof being shown in section'.' Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view, enlarged, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is asimilar view taken on line 44 of the same figure. Figs. 5 and 6 aredetail views of the erating the outlet valve of the explosion cylinder,and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the same. Fig. 8 is a detail viewof part of the governor mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the' main or explosion cylinderand 3 the fixed heads thereof. Piston 4' of this cylinder is preferablyconstructed with. the two sepa 5 mounted on piston rod.6.- The spacebetween these heads, and hence opportunity .is afforded for lubricatingthe cylinder and piston, this being accomplished b a lubricator 7 whichopens into the centero the cylinder, and which on the extreme movementsof the piston is covered by oneor the other of heads 5, the lubricatornever being exposed to the shaft 11, carryin valves for the exp osionTcyinder are operated by shaft 13 geared at 14, to shaft 1 l, and a similarshaft 15, geared to the ower shaft at 16, operates the valves forthe owpressure cylinder. I The engine being double acting, the valve mechanismat each end of the explosive cylinder is a duplicate of the other, andthe same is true of the valves for opposite ends of the low pressurecylinder 8. At the end of explosion cylinder 2is the inlet valve casing17, aving its charge-admitting port 18 open at its inner end to cylinder2 and at its outer end communicating with the vertical valve chamber 19,and also chamber is the mixing chamber 20 from which the charges of gasand air are drawn. The admission of these charges is controlled by thenormallyclosed piston or spool valve 21, having its u per end connectedto arm 22 mounted to swm r vertically on fixed pivot 23. Movement i oropening the valve is transmitted through rod 24, held normally depressedby spring communicating with this S1011 cylinder, is connected tojacrank of the drivin pulley 12. 'The' 26. This rod rides on cam, as maybe required. This ferent radius.

each segmental part of di cam 27 secured to shaft 13 which impartsupward movement thereto and to rod 24. Cam 27 is preferably formed intwo parts which are independently'adjustable on the shaft for varyingthe length of the lifting face of the ifting mechanism operates with agovernor mechanism, presently to be described, for timing the openperiods ofthe inlet valve.

1 Beneath each of valve casings 17 is a valve casing 28 having itscylinder discharge port 29 opening into valve chamber 30, and extendingfrom the latter is pipe 31 to inlet ort 25 of low pressure cylinder8,and also lea ing therefrom is exhaust pipe 32 connected to the exhaustipe 33 common to both cylinders. Within 0 amber 30 is the spool valve34, the heads of which normally cover ipes 31 and Stem 35 connects theva ve with the vertically swinging arm 36 which is held normallydepressed byspring 37 with the cylinder outlet closed, as inFig. 3. Arm36 carries a horizontal roller 38, which rides on a group of cams 39secured to shaft 13. This group consists preferably of four camsections, each provided with a" neck'or collar portion 40 carrying screw41 for clam' ing to shaft 13. with relation to each other as to dividethe periphery of the group into three parts of dif-' With the camsections separately adjustable, the len th of the face of 'erent radiusmay bevaried as conditions ma req uire. -W hen part A of the smallest raius 1s up ermost and in engagement withroller 38, va ve 34 is inlowermost osition with exhaust 32 open. This occurs when the piston ismaking its ex-" hausting stroke. The next higher radius B holds thevalve in neutral position, as in Fig. 3, with exhaust 32 and assage 31to the low pressure cylinder closed: the valve being so eld during thecharging and compressing strokes of the piston and during the greaterpart of the explosion stroke. During the latter portion of the explosionstroke, part C of largest radius comes into action and momentarily liftsthe valve and admits the explosion charge, or rather the unex pendedportion thereof, into the low pressure cylinder, this momentarycommunication being shut ofi and communication with the exhaust openedas soon as the piston begins its exhausting stroke, discharging theproducts to the atmosphere.

In the operation of explosive engines it is well known that unexpendedenergy remains at the completion of the explosion stroke.

this energy to be Instead of permittin wasted as heretofore, conduct itto the low pressure cylinder where it has ample opportunity to actexpansively on the low pressure piston and thus develop avery-appreciable amount of power which is transmitted to the driveshaft. A further feature incident to The cam sections are so a justed"chamber extends exhaust pipe 46 to the com mon exhaust 33. Exhaust valve47 is preferably of the spool or balance type, with its stem 48connected to vertically swinging arm 49, held normally raised byspring'50, with the exhaust closed. Arm 49 is depressed at the propermoment by cam 51 on shaft 15,

thereby opening the valve and permittingthe low pressure cylinder toexhaust.

For starting the engine, a pipe 52 extends toeach of valve chambers 19,said pipe connecting with a source of air under pressure which may beshut off by valve 53. A valve 54 is provided in pipe 52 for each end ofthe engine, each of said valves having a depending stem 55 adapted atits lower end to ride on a cam 56 secured'to shaft 13. A spring 57 onthe valve stem'holds the valve normally depressed and closed. The valvesare so adjusted that with valve 53 0 en, air is passed to the cylinderends at t e proper moments for reciprocating the piston, valves 34exhausting the air the same as when the engine is running normally. Whenby this means the englne has acquired sufficient momentum, the explosivecharges are admitted and the compressed air shut off.

No novelty is claimed for the governor mechanism heretofore referred tofor con trolling the open periods'of the charge inlet valves. Thismechanism is constructed and arranged as follows: Mounted on pivot 23,is the vertically swinging arm 60 to which the upper end of rod 24 isconnected. Pivoted to arm 60 is the downwardly forked latch 61 which isnormally so held by spring 62 that 7 its notched branch 63 is inengagement with a projection 64 on the rear face of arm 22, so that whenarm 60 is raised, the valve connected arm 22 will also be raised, thusopening valve 21 for the admission of an explosive charge to thecylinder. The duration of th1s open period is determined by branch 65 oflatch 61 which engages a shoulder 66 on the pivoted arm 67, thus rockinglatch 61 in opposition to spring 62, which resultsln the disengagementof branch 63 with PIOJGCUOH 64, whereupon the valve is released andlowers to closed position. I Arm 67 carrying shoulder 66 is connected toand moved by a governormechanism, thus shifting the position lingmechanisms at op here shown consists of a set of centrifugally actingballs 68, mounted on shaft 69 geared to shaft 13, the ball arms'beingconnected to the vertically movable sleeve 70 to which is pivoted-thecounterweighted lever 71, and at one end of this lever is head 72 fromwhich extend links 73 and 74'tothe valve control.- osite-iends of thecylmder. 75 pivoted to stem 76 of the dash pot piston 77, commonlyemployed in connection with this form of governor mechanism. I

Iclaim: v

r 1. The combination of a high pressure cylinder and iston offour-eyelet e, a low ressure cylinder" and piston, a va vecasing aving avalve chamber with a port extendingto the center thereof from the highpres sure 0 linder, a pipe connecting one end of the valve chamber withthe inder, an exhaust pi e leading from the other end of the valve 0 thevalve chamber with one ead thereof adapted to cover the 1passage to thelow pressure oylinder'and wit ing the exhaust passa e, means holding theva ve with both' of said passages closed during the charging,

' portion of the explosion strokes of the high 15 sure cylindercommunicating with vportion of the valve chamber and an exhaust pressurepiston, means moving theva'lve to open communication with the lowressure c linder during the latter portion the exp osion stroke, andmeans moving the valve to open communication between the hipressurecylinder and the exhaust only durmg the exhausting stroke of thehigh pressure piston. v

- 2; The combination of a high pressure cylinder and iston of four-cyclety 'e, a low ressure cy 'nder and piston, a va ve casing aving avertically disposed valve-chamber, a spool valve movable ongitudinallyin said chamber, the chamber having a ort extending from the centerthereof to tile high pressure cylinder, a passage from the low prestheupper port in the-lower said in c osed. by the 'upper head 0 the spoolva ve during the charging, compressing and portion of the chamber, the

.Als0 connecte to sleeve70 is lever low pressure cylamber, a s oo1"valve in .the other .head cover-' compressing and greater gh controllingsaid assage to the low pressure-c linder be the greater portion of theexplosion strokes of the high ressure pistonjthe lower head of the valve0 osing'the exhaust of said three strokes, means valve during the lattersion stroke for establis with the low for lowering t or raising theortion of the exploing communication ressure cylinder, and means e valveto open the exhaust from the high ressure cylinder during the exhaustingstro e ofthehigh pressure'piston. 3. The combination of a high pressurecylinder and piston, a low pressure cylinder and pis'ton'with acommunicating assage between the cylinders, an exhaust or the highpressure cylinder,- a spring-pressed valve controlling the saidcommunication and exha'ust, a valve operating shaft, and a plushaft andoperatively connected to the valve, one 'portion of the cam surfaceholding the 'sprin epressed valve with said exhaust and c lin ercommunication closed, another pores'tablish communication between thecylinders, and another ortion of the cam surface operating to esta lishcommunication between the high pressure cylinder and the exhaust.

4. The combination of a'high pressure cyl- -inder and iston, a lowressure cylinder and piston wit a passage or establishing communicationbetween the cylinders,an exhaust for the high pressure cylinder, a valvecylinder communicating fp assage and also said exhaust, a power sha t towhich the pistons are connected, a valve-o crating shaft. adjacent thehigh ressure cy l inder and geared-tothe power s aft, an operativeconnection between the valve-operatin shaft and said valve'forcontrolling said cy inder communication and said exhaust, an exhaustvalve for the low pressure cylinder, and a shaft operatively connectedto the 'last'mentioned exhaust valve and geared to the power shaft. a

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. MICHAEL M. MAHER. Witnesses:

- CHARLES GILL,

JOHN W. MCCONNEL.

ort during all rality of cams ad'ustably secured to the t1on 'of the camsurface moving the valve to

